The present invention generally relates to automatic coffee makers. More particularly, the present invention relates to coffee makers providing means for more efficient use of coffee grounds.
Conventional automatic coffee makers generally utilize a drip process wherein heated water is filtered through coffee grounds and thereafter allowed to drip into a coffee pot for storage and dispensation. The coffee stored in the coffee pot is kept warm by a heating element maintained in heat exchanger relationship with the bottom of the coffee pot. Much of the coffee grounds used in the drip process are underutilized and therefore wasted because all of the flavorings in the coffee grounds are not fully extracted by this method. Thus a greater quantity of coffee grounds is required to brew a stated quantity of coffee than would be necessary if more efficient means were available to extract the flavorings from the grounds.